Grampians bushfire bill hits $585m, according to report

AN environmental lobby group has estimated the Grampians bushfires in 2006 cost more than $585 million and is an example of extreme weather events influenced by climate change.

Friends of the Earth has urged the state government to regularly compile full costs of natural disasters and improve climate adaptation plans.

A research report released by the group lists public costs from the Gampians fires as $315.1m in environmental losses, $36.5m in emergency response operations, $11m for park buildings, contents and infrastructure and $10.8m in recovery assistance.

Private costs were calculated at $100m in local economic loss, $62.5m in agricultural loss, $28m in insurance payouts, $14.5m in residential buildings and contents plus an estimated $7.3m for fatalities.

It comes as firefighters mopping after more devastating fires in the northern Grampians prepare for another weekend of high fire danger.

The report estimates the total cost of major Victorian bushfires since 2003 including Black Saturday is more than $12.7 billion, floods at $3b, storms $2.8b and heatwaves $1.3b.

“Our state government has walked away from meaningful action to reduce greenhouse pollution,” the group’s co-ordinator Cam Walker said.

“What this report seeks to highlight is that the government is flying blind when it comes to tracking economic and social costs of natural disasters.”

Friends of the Earth is involved in the extensive report written by RMIT student Tom Delbridge which shows the estimated costs of fires, floods, storms and heatwaves taken mainly from insurance data.

It puts the 2006 Grampians fires at $373.4m in public costs and $212.3m in private costs. Two people, more than 64,000 farm animals and unknown numbers of native animals and birds died from the fires which were started by lightning and burnt 80,000 hectares of national park and adjoining property.